Building a Better Budget Process in Toronto

December 19, 2017 @ 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm

The City of Toronto’s 2018 municipal budget cycle is in full swing. Council’s Budget Committee has begun debating $12 billion worth of city spending based on a seemingly endless supply of financial reports compiled by staff. Making sense of the numbers is remarkably difficult, even for the closest City Hall watcher.

To lift the veil, the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance (IMFG) and the U of T School of Public Policy and Governance (SPPG) convened a panel to shed light on how the annual process works and how it might be improved.

How are budget decisions actually made? Who’s accountable? Is there meaningful opportunity for community input? What needs to change?